Ricer construction



March 11, 1941.l s, HAYDEN TAL RICER CONSTRUCTION Filed June 9, 1958 o uowwowo an Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RICER CONSTRUCTION Application June 9, 1938, Serial No. 212,737

4 Claims.

The invention is directed to colanders of the type usually designated as ricers, and refers particularly to an improved form thereof which has detachable supporting legs, which may be manufactured at a greatly reduced cost, and which has great strength and eciency.

In use, such devices are subjected to considerable downward pressure and rotative stresses and strains, since the pestle is forced downwardly into the conical container portion and then moved with a circular motion against the walls thereof. The downward and circular strain necessitates a rugged leg mounting structure, and furthermore necessitates a rigid utensil structure.

It is also essential Ithat the leg attachment be such that the legs do not work out of their connection with the utensil as the rotative forces are applied.

While the above requirements are present, it is further necessary and preferable that the usual cone shaped body portion be made from relatively light, bendable sheet material, since such material may be most eiiiciently and cheaply perforated and shaped. In order to strengthen this sheet metal body it is here contemplated that a relatively heavy, cast collar or lip be provided.

Still another important requirement in utensils of the class here involved is that they be so constructed that the possibility of food co1- lecting in inaccessible orifices and the like be reduced to a minimum. Thus, since the cone is of sheet metal and the lip is cast, they are separate parts and must be joined cheaply and in such a manner that flush surfaces are formed at the junction.

To the end that the above requirements may be fulfilled and as a primary object of the invention there is provided herein a device of the above character which comprises a rugged, cast, upper lip or collar portion and a separate lower sheet metal, conical container portion, which portions are secured together permanently in an improved manner so that food will not collect at the junction; with a minimum manufacturing cost, and to provide a rugged joint. It is to be Still another object of the invention is to provide a detachable leg construction which is rugged and whereby the legs, when attached, will not work out of their sockets and will not swivel therein and collapse.

More specifically it is an object oi the invention too secure a cast lip portion of a ricer or eolander to a sheet metal body portion through a mechanical connection, by intertting end edges thereof so that the joined surfaces are flush on all sides of the junction, whereby the latter may be easily cleaned and whereby relative movement between the parts is obviated.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mounting for legs of a eolander wherein each leg has a top section extending into a socket positioned radially of the lip or collar to prevent radial hinge movement of the leg, and another top section extending into a socket which is positioned substantially concentrically of the lip or collar to prevent the leg from working out o-i the sockets under the influence of the rotative forces exerted during the use of the device.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a cross section taken on the line I-l of Fig. 3;

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a bottom View of the body of the utensil;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View of the device showing the leg sockets and a leg attached thereto; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the legs.

It is to be understood that the embodiment shown herein may be changed or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is set out in the appended claims.

The eolander or' ricer disclosed herein comprises generally an upper, annular, cast, lip or collar Il), a lower perforated, conical, sheet metal container Il, 'and supporting legs I2, provision for three such legs being made in the present instance.

Referring iirst to the improved manner in which the lip and cone are secured together: The cone Il is provided with a perforated wall portion,l3 terminating at its lower end in an apex I4 and at its upper periphery in an outwardly extending iiange l5 joined integrally with the wall I3 by a relatively sharp bend, as at I6. The lip I0 has a wall portion Il and terminates at its lower periphery in an inwardly extending ssi ` n ,which lis mechanical, as distinguished from the l no;

fro?

15,52 ment relationship extends' all around the utensil,

. of the lip I8 is recessed or grooved from its-edgev outwardly for a distance equal to the width of the flange I of the lip as measured from the corner I6 to the outer edge thereof". It is preferable also that the groove be of a depth equal to the thickness of the sheet material from which the cone is made. Thus it will be Yseen that when l the cone is placed in its proper position relative to the lip, the flange I6 will interflt in the groove and may be riveted to the lip I8 as at I9. It is to be noted that the rivets are driven from the under side so that in the finishing process the upper surface of the flange I8 may. be made entirely smooth to be more readily cleaned of food.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the cone and' lip are secured together in the manner described, the upper surface of the flange I8 is left' unaffected except for the ends of the rivets which are finished oif'flush with the surface, that the edge surface of the flange I8, is

formed iiush with the inner surface of wall I3 35; by virtue of the relatively sharp corner I6, and

that the lower surface. of the flange presents no other irregularity than the heads of the rivets; these heads, however, being rounded and very shallow. Thus the relatively cheap mechanical connection provided is, free from irregularities which might detract from the appearance of the device and which might collect food particles. It is to be noted also that in practice, when the inner surface of the utensil has been finished, the junction between the corner I 6 and the lower rim of the end edgeof the flange I8 is not discernible except under close scrutiny. In effect, the cast lip and the sheet metal cone have been mechanically joined'` in such a manner that they simulate a single unit and have all thev desirable characteristics thereof.

Another attribute of the junction described above is its strength. As .previously explained, during use the pestle is so manipulated against the cone portion that excessive rotative thrusts are imparted-thereto. In. ajunction such as that shown,

more expensiveV methods of welding or spinning the parts together, the problem ofy relative lateral movement between the cone and the supporting liprduring theY use of a pestle, is presented. It

will be seen thaty as thepestle is rolled around; theinner surface ofthe cone, the latter is forcedlaterally of the supporting lip. vContinued application of such lateral forces and continued f tendency toward relative lateral movement between the parts will in time weaken or loosen-.the usualmechanicalv junction and result in a possible separation of the parts; In the present in- .stance'this difculty is overcome by the abutment between theouter edge of the flange I5 andthe substantially vertical Wall' afforded by the groove in the flange I8. It .will be understood tha-t since the grooveis circular and; thus the' abovefgabutthat the cone flange I5 is held laterally immovable in the groove', thus any possibility of relative lateral movement between the parts is obviated.

If desired, the groove may be made `in the upper surface of the flange I, and the cone flange I5 then overlies the upper surface in the groove and extends around the peripheral edge of the lip. As` previously stated, in providing detachable legsfor a utensil o-f this character, the attachment must be such that the legs will not work loose lduring the rotation o-f the pestle and will not collapse through hinge movement during use. These requirements are fulfilled by the construction shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 in which there is shown threesetsof' lugs depending from the lip I0. Each setcomprises a substantially radially extending lug 20a-nd a substantially concentrically extending lug 2|'. Each of the lugs has a socket drilled therein to receive the upper end of a substantially v U-shaped heavy wire leg I2.

One of these legs is shown in Fig. 5 and consists of upright sections 22 joined for springing relationship to one another at, their bottoms. Each of the sections 22 has a horizontally extending section 23 extending from the top thereof, this horizontal section serving as the-upper end and connecting element for one of the uprights, while the other horizontal section 23v has, integral with the end thereof, ya substantially horizontal section 24 which extends substantially normal thereto and outwardly of the leg assembly. These horizontally extendingconnecting sections are found to provide extremely eicient support against downward forces exerted during the use of the pestle.

The upright sections 22 are in the present embodiment normally sprung outwardly, and to attach the legs to the lip it is merely necessary to insert the free section .23`into the radi-al socketfof one of the pairs of legs, squeeze the uprights to- I gether and continue the Vinsertion into the radial socket until the section 24 is aligned with the respective concentric socket, at which time the uprights are'released and the leg is attached as shown in Fig; l by movement of the section 24 into its respective concentric socket.

When the legs are so attached it will be seen that-theyarepreventedfrom working out of their sockets by the angular: relationship of the free connecting section 23 and the connecting section` 24. Furthermore, swivelzor hinge action relative tothe utensil is= prevented by the radial' relationship ,ofthe connecting sectiony 23.

rThe structure shown' herein is extremely rugged by virtue` of the cast lip and cast lugs and the claim-as4 new and desire' to securebyUi-lited' States Letters Patent is:

1`. In a collar for a colander,l a` substantially horizontallyl extending' portion, suti'por-tv mounting means dependingV from said hor-i'z'ontaliportion for receiving detachable supportingfle'gs, each ofi said mounting. means embodying a pair of socketsadapted to slidably receive' a pair of upper. ends. of a supporting leg,` one of. said socketsv of each pair being positioned' radially of. .said collar andf the other ofy said sockets beingV positioned-substantially tangentially thereof.

2. In an' article of the class described' having an;

annular collar with a substantially horizontalv extending. bottom: flange, in. c'on'lbination,A support receiving means depending from the lower surface of said ilange,` said means comprising a series of paired, spaced sockets, one socket of each pair extending substantially radially of said collar, the other of said sockets extending substantially tan,- gentially of said collar, and supports, each of said supports comprising a relatively heavy wire leg formed from a single pieceof wire .and including a pair of upright sections joined at their bottoms, one of said uprights terminating in a substantially horizontally, radially extending section, the other of said uprights having a like, radially extending section and having additionally a further substantially horizontally extending section bent to extend substantially tangent to the collar when the radial section of the other upright is positioned parallel to its respective radial socket, said uprights having a sprung relationship to one another and being so positioned normally that the free ends thereof are spaced farther apart than are the paired sockets.

3. In a collar for a colander, support mounting means associated therewith, said means including a series of paired sockets, said sockets being adapted to slidably receive a pair of connecting elements of a supporting leg, one of the sockets of each pair being positioned substantially radially of the collar and the other of the sockets being positioned substantially tangentially thereof.

4. As a new article o-f manufacture, a supporting leg for utensils or the like, said leg-being formed from a single length of relatively heavy Wire by bending, and including a pair of upright sections joined integrally at their lower ends by a bridge section for resilient relative movement, one of said uprights terminating at its upper end in a substantially horizontally extending section, said section being positioned at substantial right angles to the bridge section, the other of said uprights having a simil-arly extending horizontal section and having additionally a further section extending substantially horizontally and parallel to said bridge section.

SAMUEL HAYDEN.

BARNEY B. HAYDEN. 

